Sunday July 28, 2009 matinee - Avi Scher and Dancers at City Center Studio 5. I've known Avi for a couple of years since Wei and I met him one night on the A Train, but in fact I had previously only seen a small sample of his choreography and I'd never actually seen him dancing. So this afternoon Kokyat and I skipped a potential visit to the NYIBC gala dress rehearsal and went instead to the Studio where Avi had gathered an outstanding troupe of dancers who repeated a programme they had danced to a standing ovation at Jacob's Pillow on Friday night.

To have major artists from the New York City Ballet dancing your work is quite a coup for a young choreographer; to have found dancers to share the floor with these NYCBers who can more than hold their own is also a feather in Avi's cap. To see the City Ballet dancers - Abi Stafford, Dena Abergel, Jared Angle, David Prottas and Christian Tworzyanski - at close range was a thrill for me; to find them dancing Avi's genuinely inventive and attractive chroreography in the company of a beautiful and very talented ensemble made the afternoon a particularly joyous one.

Avi had a full house, a standing-room-only crowd as the dancers took the floor in the opening work, Last Dance. Premiered in March 2008 in
Providence, Avi created Last Dance as a tribute to Jenn Jansma, a former dancer with
Carolina Ballet who passed away from cancer at age 21 in February
2008. To music by Dustin
O'Halloran, Yann Tiersen, and Sara McLachlan, Avi has created a glowing piece that celebrates the beauty of human movement in full lyric sweep. Avi's choreography immediately shows his musicality and sense of structure, with the dancers so attractively dressed in muted colours.

Above, John Ross photo of Abi Stafford in Ratmansky's RUSSIAN SEASONS. I've been in love with Abi Stafford since she first set foot onstage at the New York City Ballet as a mere slip of a girl being thrust into leading roles on the spur of the moment. Watching her literally grow up before our eyes, I've come to appreciate not just her technical finesse and musicality, but also the freshness, clarity and sincerity of her personal expression. Seeing Abi up close was really a joy today, partnered in the opening passages of LAST DANCE by the remarkable David Prottas. David, a member of the NYC Ballet corps de ballet, already has a fan club (whether he knows it or not) and in the past couple of seasons he has started to be featured in more prominent roles where his suave technique and personal charisma mark him out for still bigger opportunities. Alexsandra
Meijer, a unique beauty, is also partnered by David; Alexsandra and Abi seem to be two aspects of one woman. Avi gives them steps invested with quiet rapture. David leads a trio of boys, joined by Alexander Dutko and Ja'Malik, while three women (Elysia Dawn, Victoria North and Nancy Richer) appear as Graces...or perhaps, as Fates. Avi structures the ensemble with a sense of ritual. As a tribute to an artist passing before her time, LAST DANCE is luminous.

Val Caniparoli's fast-paced and witty duet Aquilarco(1999) was originally created for
San Francisco Ballet and was today danced by Racheal
Prince (above) and Avi Scher, to music by Giovanni Sollima. Racheal is a dark-haired young woman with a strong technical grounding and a very appealing stage presence; she moves with speedy assurance which well-compliments Avi's buouyant dancing and natural charm. A clapping motif gives Aquilarco an extra touch of originality.

Our Love's Defense,
a New York Premiere by Avichai Scher, was spectacularly danced and dramatized by Melissa Hough (above) and Christian Tworzyanski as antagonistic lovers who reject, torment and repulse one another while all the time their mutual passion seethes below the surface. Gloves and tee-shirts come off as the combat reaches fever pitch; but they can't live without each other. The audience went wild after this piece which Melissa and Christian delivered with total commitment. They should have come back for an extra bow. "Did you get my message?"

No Matter What with music by Aphex Twin and Adam Lewis is danced by the girls in soft slippers and a trio of men. A central couple remain steadfast against waves of sometimes-ominous intruders on their relationship. Surrounded by a strong ensemble (Robert Colby Damon, Elysia Dawn,
Alexander Dutko, Racheal
Prince, and Nancy Richer), Victoria North and Ja'Malik are two of the NYC dance scene's most persuasive movers. Victoria is a tall blonde girl whose dancing is at once commanding and lyrical. Ja' is a compellingly strong and sexy young man with extreme flexibility and a powerful mystique. Any opportunity to watch Victoria or Ja' dancing should be seized upon by the Gotham dance crowd. Above photo of Victoria by Andrea Mohin.

The World Premiere of Mirrors by Avichai
Scher deals with our perceptions of others and the difference between
private and public behavior as well as the vanity and insecurity
associated with viewing one's own reflection. Mirrors
opens with a solo by the inimitable Dena Abergel; clad in purple, she seems self-absorbed but also furtively aware that she is being observed. Always a great presence on the stage at NYC Ballet, I truly enjoyed savoring these moments of watching Dena at close range. Dena's headshot above, by Paul Kolnik.

A duet for Jared Angle and Alexsandra Meijer (above) follows; Jared is of course an impeccable cavalier and again Ms. Meijer's unique visage and serene technique gave great pleasure. Abi Stafford's solo gave us another opportunity to delight in her radiant security on pointe. The trio of Melissa Hough, David Prottas and Christian Tworzyanski commences on the floor, but then the restless sleepers awake to dance to the music by Elena
Kats Chernin and Dustin O'Halloran which ripples and pulsates magically beneath Avi's intriguing choreographic statements.

Quick item from the New York International Ballet Competition: American dancers Amber Neumann and John Mark Giragosian deservedly won the silver medals and I am delighted that Brazil's Ricardo Santos was awarded a one-year contract with The Joffrey as well as Men's Bronze.

Here's Kokyat's photo of Ricardo in class. I expect more (official) photos later today.

No gold medals were awarded this year, nor was the ABT contract. Details to follow.

Emery LeCrone is currently in Tempe, Arizona where she is teaching and choreographing for Novaballet. Visit this young Company's super website here. Emery's Pulling to Break will be performed by Novaballet July 17th - 19th.

While we've been up at the Rose Theatre in the Time Warner Building watching the New York International Ballet Competition, Kokyat has taken the opportunity to photograph Columbus Circle from above. Click on the images for an enhanced view.

Saturday June 27, 2009 - Final round of the New York International Ballet Competition. Following Friday evening's truly impressive performances, some of the dancers tonight seemed to be dealing with nerves, fatigue or the pressure of the moment. Interestingly, two of the most purely enjoyable performances tonight came from dancers who are no longer competing: Allison Garcia Suero and Andres Felipe Figueroa.

Dancing last in the first half of the programme, the Americans Amber Neumann and John Mark Girogosian really stepped up to the moment with a technically polished and theatrically vivid performance highlighted by their musicality and evident joy in performing. An added plus was the beautiful dusty rose colour they chose for their costumes.

After the intermission, the Columbians (Diana Catalina Gomez Gonzalez dancing with Mr. Figueroa) and the Brazilians (Juiliana Guilherme Leonel and Ricardo Santos) gave exciting performances which amplified my earlier positive impressions of all four of these very appealing dancers.

All three of the Korean boys (Yeo Reum Lee, Young Jae Jung and Ki Wan Kim) showed the fine qualities that I had come to expect from them, as did the Korean women (Hayeryn Kim and Yong Jung Rhee). Douglas Horne (USA) danced superbly though he seemed less confident in the taxing overhead lift; in virtuoso passages he excelled. The Russian ballerina Olga Malinovskaya's performance had an instinctive glamour about it.

The dancers all had beautiful individual moments and phrases without always being able to weave them into an overall tapestry of balletic excellence; partnering glitches, which can beset even the most experienced dancers, caused momentary falterings along the way. Not knowing exactly what the judges are looking for, it would be hard to guess whether the passing problems would be enough to offset a possible medal finish for any of these dancers. We will find out tonight at the concluding Gala.

Friday June 26, 2009 - In the second round of the New York International Ballet Competition, the eighteen dancers who moved past the first round appeared in the pas de deux from Paul Taylor's AUREOLE and then, after intermission, each dancer had approximately 2.5 minutes to perform a solo of his or her own choosing. Above, Kokyat's photo of the Argentine couple Adrian Lopez and Paula Cassano being coached in the Taylor piece by Rachel Berman. Click photo to enhance the view.

Dancers enter this competition as pairs but are judged individually so that, even if one dancer from a couple advances and the other does not, they continue to perform together in each round. One of the loveliest aspects of the AUREOLE duets was watching the couples in which only one dancer continues to compete: their partners, who now have nothing at stake as individuals, did everything humanly possible to enhance the chances for their respective partner. Allison Garcia Suero, Simona Marsibilio, Andres Felipe Figueroa and Oleksii Potomkin danced their hearts out, while undoubtedly wishing they were still in the running. In the audience, several dancers who had not moved on to the second round came out to cheer on their colleagues.

Korea's Hayeryn Kim and Yeo Reum Lee set a very high barre for the performances of the Taylor duet with their spacious, refined dancing. Each succeeding couple showed the personal qualities that I have come to admire in their individual dance personalities with each pair making the duet a personal statement while maintaining the steps and style in which Rachel Berman had so perfectly prepared them.

Marco Pagetti, dancing with Ms. Marsibilio, and Yevgeniya Korshunova (partnered by Oleksii Potomkin) seemed particularly beautiful to me, while Argentina's Adrian Lopez gave a truly magnetic performance dancing with Paula Cassano. The Americans Amber Neumann and John Mark Giragosian established a perfect mood of almost innocent ardor. Coming last, the Brazilians Juliana Guilherme Leonel and Ricardo Santos made the duet look as fresh as if Taylor had just created it: their performance was brimming with quiet joy and mutual affection.

In the solos, four dancers chose from the standard ballet classics: Columbia's Diana Catalina Gomez Gonzalez gave a breathtaking performance of the DON QUIXOTE variation. This ballerina is so captivating and seems ready to be dancing major roles with a major company. Her especially charming by-play with the fan as well as her polished pirouette combinations and a superb concluding balance were all rightly applauded by the crowd. Yevgeniya Korshunova in a solo from LA FILLE MAL GARDEE was equally accomplished, her strong pointe technique underlying a persona of sweet Romantic-era charm. The Argentine Paula Cassano was a tall, regal Aurora who danced the 'wedding' solo from SLEEPING BEAUTY commandingly; her compatriot Adrian Lopez was authoritative in the DIANA & ACTEON solo.

The rest of the dancers chose solos of a more contemporary style. I suppose one could have happily watched a succession of Odiles and Solors wafting about the stage, but in a way I think it's good to bring something fresh into play. Ballet is changing and I think if we are to develop a younger audience (which we will have to do if the art form is not to die out with the senior citizens who still subscribe to ABT) we will have to see (and hear) works which relate more to our modern times.

Hayeryn Kim of Korea in Virgin Heart showed all the poetic beauty and technical fluency that has made watching her these past couple of weeks such a pleasure. Yeo Reum Lee's solo Lamentation took an operatic turn as the tall, elegant danseur performed to the aria of the heartbroken clown from Leoncavallo's PAGLIACCI. Lee's been a quietly beautiful dance force in the past several days and it was captivating to see the dramatic intensity he summoned, ending as he smeared his face with the actor's white greasepaint. Extra bravos to Lee for choosing the recording of my favorite tenor, Carlo Bergonzi.

The American Douglas Horne, such a technically polished and spirited dancer, surprised us by appearing for his solo Encounter shirtless, wearing a long black tutu and black Oxfords and 'office' socks. In this improbable garb, I expected a comic turn. But there was no trace of camp in the way Douglas moved, his ultra-flexible torso and the swiftness of his footwork keeping us mesmerized. The strikingly beautiful red-head Amber Neumann flashed thru her on-pointe solo Uakti with the sort of intensity and daring that mark Wendy Whelan's finest performances; clad in a mossy green leotard, Amber took the risky moves in stride and turned the dance into a fascinating personal portrait. John Mark Giragosian, one of the few boys to conquer the technical hurdles in RAYMONDA, showed himself to be a great contemporary mover in Retrograde; his sleek torso and compelling commitment to the music gave him a distinct edge.

In Adaptation, the Italian Marco Pagetti's smooth, fluid movement style and technical strength amplified my admiration for him - he's been quite exciting all week. Yong Young Rhee's surprisingly vivid sense of drama in Self-Torture showed her range as a dancer, in contrast to her lovely classicism in RAYMONDA. Her partner, the very slender and somewhat enigmatic Ki Won Kim, likewise moved far from his gorgeous RAYMONDA solo to Epilogue where his pensive dramatic persona suddenly erupted with a dazzling aeriel combination before again drawing into himself. Brilliant!

Olga Malinovskaya, dancing in to the oceanic sounds of Water Music, showed her attractive qualities to advantage in a very different light from the grandeur of her RAYMONDA; here she was more vulnerable and almost Ondine-like. Within seconds of Artjom Maksakov's entrance for his wonderfully elastic tango solo, Nino Bien, Kokyat grabbed my Playbill and scrawled "very sexy!"...yes, for sure. But also quite devastating in his fearless hurtles into the air in a solo that put me in mind of Andrew Veyette's unforgettable performance in OLTREMARE.

China's Jia Zhang danced with supple, sinuous energy and unexpected athleticism (of the graceful kind) in Impressions. In Hunt, her Korean partner Young Jae Jung used his youthful-god physique to powerful effect with his flexible flow of movement frequently erupting in fascinating technical feats which seemed to spring out of nowhere. Really amazing.

The Brazilians then played their final cards beautifully with Ms. Leonel in an eye-tempting sleek magenta body sheath moving with a contemprary edge thru purely classical steps (yes, even fouette turns) in Sob o Som de Cello. The handsomely compact and elegant Ricardo Santos then brought the evening to a close dancing with sublimely sculptural lyricism in Primiera Voz. The Brazilians are simply such a pleasure to watch.

Kokyat, to whom dance is still quite new, truly enjoyed the solos; I enjoyed his enthusiastic reactions. Earlier in the evening while searching the area for roses for Rachel, we got caught under a bridge in Central Park during a violent thunderstorm. Taking advantage, Kokyat began snapping pictures. Then suddenly the storm drains overflowed and we barely escaped the ensuing flood. Click each image to enlarge.

Saturday night brings the finals of the Competition which I am excited about but also dreading in a way because some people will win which implies that others are less good. Which isn't really the case, in my view. I've really enjoyed watching all 48 dancers in this group.

The final competitive piece will be the PAQUITA pas de deux, coached by Winthrop Corey.